Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iran: Sanctions

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent oral and written representations the Prime Minister has made to the President of the United States in relation to his intention to impose sanctions on UK companies doing business in Iran.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Ministers and officials across Government have consistently raised with the US this Government's support for UK companies to continue to trade with Iran. This supports our policy of maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is important for our national security, and a central part of our Iran policy. The Prime Minister and President Trump most recently discussed Iran policy when they met at the UN General Assembly in September.

Iran: Sanctions

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what oral and written representations (1) the Foreign Secretary, and (2) the Defence Secretary, have made to their opposite numbers in the government of the United States in relation to the intention of the President of the United States to impose sanctions on UK companies doing business in Iran.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Ministers and officials across Government have consistently raised with the US this Government's support for UK companies to continue to trade with Iran, including through regular engagement by the Foreign Secretary and the Chancellor. This supports our policy of maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is important for our national security, and a central part of our Iran policy. The Defence Secretary regularly discusses Iran with his US counterpart, and the Foreign Secretary raised US sanctions with Secretary Pompeo at the UN General Assembly and in a phone call on 11 September.

Iran: Sanctions

lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions since the President of the United States announced his intention to impose sanctions on UK companies doing business in Iran the matter has been raised at face to face meetings with officials including the United States Ambassador in London.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: UK ministers and officials have consistently and repeatedly raised with the US this Government's support for UK companies to continue to trade with Iran. This supports our policy of maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is important for our national security, and a central part of our Iran policy. British Embassy officials in Washington and officials in London have had weekly discussions with the US on this issue, and a delegation of senior officials visited Washington in September for discussions on Iran.

Israel: Bedouin

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reply, if any, they received to the letter of 31 July from the Foreign Secretary to the Prime Minister of Israel calling, together with other European countries, for reconsideration of the decision to demolish the village and school of Khan al-Ahmar; andwhat further steps they plan to take on this issue.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have yet to receive a response to our joint letter about Khan al-Ahmar, and we continue to call on Israel to abandon demolition plans entirely, and instead provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C. Most recently our Ambassador to Israel raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities on 3 October, and the Minister for Middle East and North Africa reiterated our concerns in a meeting with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 11 October. We remain in close consultation with likeminded EU partners about what should be done next.

UNRWA: Jerusalem

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel following the announcement by Nir Barkat, the Mayor of Jerusalem, that schools, clinics and sports centres, among other services operated by UNRWA in East Jerusalem, will be transferred to Israeli authorities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities. We understand that the municipality of Jerusalem does not have the legal authority to shut down UNRWA facilities.

Yemen: Military Intervention

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia concerning a ceasefire in Yemen.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Foreign Secretary met the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on 27 September as part of the Yemen Quad at the UN General Assembly in New York. In that meeting, he urged all those present to seize the opportunity for political progress, and the group underlined their complete support for the UN process led by Special Envoy Martin Griffiths. On 15 March, the UK proposed and coordinated a UN Security Council Presidential Statement which reiterated the Council's call on the parties to agree on the modalities for a durable cessation of hostilities.

Israel: Gaza

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel about the reported shelling by Israeli forces of medical facilities in Gaza and the reported targeting of health workers in Gaza by Israeli forces.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We regularly raise issues relating to medical facilities and personnel with the Israeli authorities. We have stressed the need for safe and unimpeded passage for medical personnel. In particular we raise our concerns about medical facilities in Gaza, and medical permits, with the office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). Our Ambassador to Israel discussed Gaza with COGAT on 17 September. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the targeting of health workers with COGAT on 23 August.

Israel: Gaza

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel about reported attacks by Israeli forces on children during the Great Return March in Gaza on 28 September.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: On 6 October the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa expressed our concerns about this issue. The UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the manner in which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) police protests and the border areas, including use of live ammunition. While we note the IDF has its own investigations processes, we call directly on Israel to carry out a transparent inquiry into the IDF's conduct at the border fence, and to demonstrate how this will achieve a sufficient level of independence.

Eritrea: Human Rights

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have seen any evidence of substantive Human Rights reforms in Eritrea since the most recent report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Eritrea to the thirty-eighth session of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The UK has seen no evidence of any human rights reforms in Eritrea since the last session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. The Minister for Africa raised our concerns on the human rights situation with the Eritrean Foreign Minister when they met on 25 September, and expressed our hope for an improvement in light of political developments in the region.

Eritrea: UN Human Rights Council

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK intends to vote in support of Eritrea joining the Human Rights Council at the UN General Assembly.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions for elections at the UN.

Eritrea: UN Human Rights Council

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government which factors will be considered by the UK when it votes on Eritrea’s candidacy for election to the Human Rights Council at the UN General Assembly.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK considers our votes against candidates’ human rights records, and their cooperation with the Human Rights Council (HRC). The UK also considers candidates’ track record at the HRC, broader Government priorities, standing obligations, and whether a reciprocal deal can be made. Eritrea will take part in an uncontested election for a seat as one of the Africa Group members in the UN Human Rights Council. The UK has a long-standing policy of not revealing our voting intentions.

Atlantic Ocean Islands: Waste Disposal

lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will assist the South Atlantic Overseas Territories to deal with the accumulation of plastic waste and other detritus which has gathered around the islands.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government is acutely aware of the scourge of plastic pollution across the world and we are taking action both domestically and internationally to tackle this important issue. We are engaging with the UK Overseas Territories to help them develop and implement policies to reduce plastic waste, monitor the build-up of marine waste and clean-up waste as appropriate.The Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund (Darwin Plus) provides, in particular, a mechanism for Overseas Territories to bid for financial support to implement environmental projects within the Territories.The recently published findings of alarming increases in plastic waste around the UK Overseas Territories in the South Atlantic came from research funded by the UK Government through our Darwin Plus and Blue Belt Programmes.

Gabon: Human Rights

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the human rights situation in Gabon.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The human rights situation in Gabon remains a matter of concern with continued allegations of serious and persistent human rights violations and abuses. The non-resident British Ambassador raised the need for progress on good governance, human rights and democratic issues when he met with President Bongo in September.

Department for Education

Academies

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what isthe criterion used by the Secretary of State to revoke an Academy Order under section 5D of the Academies Act 2010; which schools have had an Academy Order revoked; and in each case, what were the reasons for the Academy Order being revoked.

lord agnew of oulton: The department’s statutory ‘Schools causing concern’ guidance (attached) makes clear that the Secretary of State’s power to revoke an academy order will only be used in very exceptional circumstances – for example, where the maintained school is not viable and therefore it is most appropriate for it to close. Details of the 29 schools which have had an academy revoked and the reasons for revocation are set out in the attached table.



HL10597_Schools_causing_concern_guidance
(PDF Document, 380.16 KB)




HL10597_Table_Academy_revocation
(PDF Document, 16.97 KB)

Academies

lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether provisions in the Education and Adoption Act 2016 to designate schools as coasting will no longer be used to force local authority schools to convert to academies.

lord agnew of oulton: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced on 4 May 2018 that we will only mandate academy conversion, leadership change or re-brokerage of a school on grounds of educational underperformance if Ofsted has judged it as inadequate.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Violence

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many responses they have received to their consultation Transforming the response to domestic abuse; and when they will publish their response.

lord keen of elie: The joint Home Office and Ministry of Justice consultation Transforming the Response to Domestic Abuse was launched on 8 March and ran for 12 weeks until 31 May. During this period, we received over 3,000 responses. We expect to publish a formal Government response later this year.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Airports

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to establish at least one permanent monitoring site for Ultrafine Particles in the vicinity of a major airport as recommended by theAir Quality Expert Group in its report Ultrafine Particles in the UK, published in July.

lord gardiner of kimble: In the light of the recommendations made by the Air Quality Expert Group, we are reviewing a number of options for enhancing the national monitoring network. The advice and recommendations of the AQEG will be informing the Government’s Clean Air Strategy. The draft strategy has recently been consulted on. The strategy will commit to further investment to underpin and improve our evidence base to enable effective targeting of actions to improve outcomes for public health and the environment.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion of the Air Quality Expert Group in its reportUltrafine Particles in the UK, published in July, that the policies and actions to control ambient PM2.5 and PM10 will not always control Ultrafine Particles.

lord gardiner of kimble: We recognise that interventions for fine particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) will not always control ultrafine particles. The Air Quality Expert Group report will inform how we take forward and evolve our evidence base in meeting the challenges outlined in our draft Clean Air Strategy.

Wood-burning Stoves: Air Pollution

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of the Air Quality Expert Group in its report Ultrafine Particles in the UK, published inJuly, that "emissions from some potentially important sources such as domestic wood burning are very poorly known".

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government recognises that there is a need for us to keep advancing and evolving our evidence base. As part of the Government’s Clean Air Strategy we have committed to continued investment in our evidence base to enable the most effective targeting of measures to improve public health and environmental outcomes.

Wood-burning Stoves: Air Pollution

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to commission research into the contribution made by different types of domestic wood burning stoves to the presence of Ultrafine Particles and other air pollutants in urban areas.

lord gardiner of kimble: Measuring emissions of particulate matter from wood stoves is a recognised challenge. The Government’s draft Clean Air Strategy identifies a range of actions targeted to reduce emissions from these sources. Defra is working with industry sectors and test houses to review different methods for testing stove emissions to determine what test methods are most reliable EU Ecodesign regulations that come into force in 2022 will mean all new stoves will need to meet agreed emissions standards, regardless of where they are used.

Home Office

Immigrants: Detainees

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent any verbal or physical abuse of detainees at immigration detention centres.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government takes detainee welfare very seriously and expects the highest standards from those who manage the detention estate on its behalf.A comprehensive complaints system ensures that all complaints made by detainees are investigated by the relevant supplier in accordance with published guidance. All allegations of serious misconduct are referred to the Home Office Professional Standards Unit for investigation. If a detainee, or someone on behalf of a detainee, alleges that a member of staff has committed an offence against them the police will automatically be notified, even if the detainee does not wish the matter to be reported or to make a formal complaint. For detainees who are dissatisfied with the way their complaint has been handled, there is an avenue of escalation to the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.Independent scrutiny makes a vital contribution to assurance that immigration removal centres are secure and humane. The Government will continue to implement action in response to recommendations made by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons and the Independent Monitoring Boards.

Deportation

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigrants were removed in (1) 2010, (2) 2014, and (3) 2017 to (a) Somalia, (b) Afghanistan, and (c) the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

baroness williams of trafford: Information on the number of people that have been returned from the UK by nationality, is available in table rt_05 (returns data tables, volume 5) in ‘Immigration Statistics, year ending June 2018’, available from the GOV.uk website at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/734186/returns5-jun-2018-tables.odsUnfortunately the table is too wide to include in the body of the answer; therefore it is attached.



Table HL10689
(Excel SpreadSheet, 15.32 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union

British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Brexit negotiations will necessitate any UK citizens who do not reside in the UK, without property in the UK but with property in the EU, to relocate to the UK after Brexit; and if so, whetherthey have plans to recompense such citizens for any losses incurred as a result.

lord callanan: In December 2017, we reached a fair and reciprocal agreement with the EU on the rights of EU citizens in the UK and UK nationals in the EU, as set out in the draft legal text of the Withdrawal Agreement.The agreement confirms that any UK national resident in the EU by December 2020 will be able to stay and continue living their lives broadly as they do now in their current Member State of residence. This agreement provides UK nationals living in the EU more certainty about residence, healthcare, pensions and other benefits. We are currently implementing this agreement in the UK through the EU Settlement Scheme and are working with Member States to understand how they will do the same.Should a UK national decide to return to the UK, details on access to services such as healthcare and social security in the UK can be found on gov.uk.

Brexit

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether there will be an agreement on the withdrawal terms of the UK leaving the European Union; and whether the statement by Jean-Claude Juncker on 6 October that the chances of a deal have increased has altered that assessment.

lord callanan: We have always said we are working hard for a deal this autumn, and that continues at pace. However, there remain big issues to work through, and as the Prime Minister has said, this will require movement on the EU side.We have been clear that there can be no Withdrawal Agreement without a precise Future Framework.